Dear Clarkston Community Schools Families,

Last week, the Board of Education voted to place a bond proposal on the November 8 ballot for district-wide facility upgrades.
The proposal is the result of us reviewing and updating our 2016 Facilities Master Plan, evaluating all our buildings, prioritizing identified needs, and gathering feedback from you, as well as our students, staff, and community members.
If approved by voters, this bond proposal is projected to require no tax rate increase to property owners over the current year debt millage rate and would provide up to $197.5 million for district-wide improvements.
The bond proposal has three key priorities for district improvement projects: Safety & Security, New Junior High, and Aging Building Systems and Sites.
Proposed safety and security improvements include building air quality, providing air conditioning in classrooms, ADA upgrades, door hardware replacements, window blinds, building card access controls, additional generator circuits for life safety systems, and fire alarm system replacements.
The bond proposal would provide an opportunity to replace the 63-year-old aging Junior High with a new facility on the existing site. Considerable research and review revealed that renovating the existing building would not fully address all infrastructure and educational needs.
And the cost to renovate the existing Junior High would approach the replacement cost due to the age of the building and existing infrastructure needs, including underground systems. The proposed new facility would feature improved building efficiency, provide larger classrooms to support innovative and collaborative learning, improved ADA accessibility, and improved traffic flow while preserving and updating the current auditorium and construction trades areas.
In addition, the proposal addresses the most critical aging building systems. It provides parity among school buildings, including replacing select roofing, mechanical systems, doors, casework, flooring, clock systems, failing paving, exterior building envelopes, and technology devices and infrastructure.
Over the next several weeks, the district will be releasing more information about the proposal. You can also find details on our website at www.clarkston.k12.mi.us/community/bond-2022.
In the meantime, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the district at 248-623-5400 or at info@clarkston.k12.mi.us.

Sincerely,
Dr. Shawn Ryan
CCS Superintendent

PHOTO: From left, Wes Goodman, CCS executive director of operations, Jessica Kimmel, CCS supervisor of facilities, Tom VanDeGriend, of the GMB architecture firm, Kelli Horst, CCS Board of Education president, and Dr. Shawn Ryan, CCS Superintendent, sit down and discuss the recent bond proposal for Clarkston Community Schools. Photo: Provided by Kelly Allen